1. Technical Field
The invention relates to printing. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-layer printing with enhanced saturation.
2. Description of the Background Art
Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer, and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The concept of inkjet printing originated in the 19th century, and the technology was first extensively developed in the early 1950s. Starting in the late 1970s inkjet printers that could reproduce digital images generated by computers were developed, mainly by Epson, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Canon. In the worldwide consumer market, four manufacturers account for the majority of inkjet printer sales: Canon, HP, Epson, and Lexmark, a 1991 spin-off from IBM.
The emerging ink jet material deposition market also uses inkjet technologies, typically print heads using piezoelectric crystals, to deposit materials directly on substrates.
When using standard process colors to print onto non-white or colored media the typical approach is to print a white layer, then print color on top. For example Vutek's PressVu 200/QS/GS/HS series printers all have multilayer capabilities for printing on clear and colored media.
Printing onto a known solid bright white layer yields consistent results, but requires a certain ink density to reach saturation. However, increased ink density is known to contribute to gloss-banding. Thus, increasing the white ink density is not a satisfactory approach to compensating for a non-white medium.